Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Nigeria fits inside Mexico 2.1 times.
Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2023) · Nigeria: 923,770 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 11 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 853 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico’s highest peak towers 3,217 m above Nigeria’s.
Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition) · Nigeria: 2,419 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Nigeria has 80% more people than Mexico.
Mexico: 132 million (2025) · Nigeria: 238 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Nigeria is 3.8 times as densely populated as Mexico.
Mexico: 68 per km² (2025) · Nigeria: 261 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Nigeria are 1.3 cm taller than in Mexico.
Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 171.6 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Nigeria and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019) · Nigeria: 158.1 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Mexico is 11 years older than in Nigeria.
Mexico: 28.9 years (2023) · Nigeria: 17.8 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Nigeria have 2.5 more children on average than in Mexico.
Mexico: 1.89 children per woman (2024) · Nigeria: 4.38 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
8.5% of people in Mexico are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Mexico: 8.5% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Mexico has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Nigeria 0.0.
Mexico: 0.2 (2025) · Nigeria: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Mexico and Nigeria are practically level.
Mexico: 1 (2026) · Nigeria: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mexico’s economy is 6.3 times the size of Nigeria’s.
Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025) · Nigeria: $291 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Mexico produces 2.7 times as much per person as Nigeria.
Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025) · Nigeria: Int$9,532 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in Nigeria (Gini 8.7 points higher).
Mexico: 42.6 (2024) · Nigeria: 33.9 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Nigeria and Mexico are practically level.
Mexico: 2.7% (2025) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Mexico and Nigeria are practically level.
Mexico: 0.9% (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Mexico’s price level (US = 100) is 4.2× Nigeria’s.
Mexico: 54% (2025) · Nigeria: 13% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Mexico spends 11 times as much on health per person as Nigeria.
Mexico: $761 (2023) · Nigeria: $67 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Mexico live 21 years longer than in Nigeria.
Mexico: 75.3 years (2024) · Nigeria: 54.6 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Nigeria is 5.8 times as likely to die before turning one as in Mexico.
Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Nigeria: 69.8 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Mexico has 6.8 times as many doctors per person as Nigeria.
Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Nigeria: 0.4 per 1,000 (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 12% in Nigeria.
Mexico: 37.4% (2024) · Nigeria: 12.1% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
16% of adults in Mexico smoke, versus 3.1% in Nigeria.
Mexico: 15.7% (2024) · Nigeria: 3.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 2.18 points higher than in Nigeria.
Mexico: 6.97 (2025) · Nigeria: 4.79 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Mexico drink 3.3 times as much alcohol as in Nigeria.
Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023) · Nigeria: 2 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 11 times as much meat per person as Nigeria.
Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023) · Nigeria: 7.1 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Mexico has 834 kcal more food per person per day than Nigeria.
Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023) · Nigeria: 2,470 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Nigeria put in 433 more hours a year than in Mexico.
Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023) · Nigeria: 2,062 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Mexico went to school 1.8 years longer than in Nigeria.
Mexico: 9.3 years (2023) · Nigeria: 7.6 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 149 times as many tourists per resident as Nigeria (2019).
Mexico: 0.34 (2024) · Nigeria: 0 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
83% of people in Mexico are online, versus 41% in Nigeria.
Mexico: 83% (2024) · Nigeria: 41% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Mexico have electricity, versus 63% in Nigeria.
Mexico: 99.8% (2024) · Nigeria: 62.5% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Mexico live in cities, versus 64% in Nigeria.
Mexico: 80% (2025) · Nigeria: 64% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Mexico has 116 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Nigeria 71.
Mexico: 116 (2024) · Nigeria: 71 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 6.6 times as long as Nigeria’s.
Mexico: 23,389 km (2017) · Nigeria: 3,528 km (2015)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Mexico fly 27 times as many passengers per resident as those from Nigeria.
Mexico: 0.6 (2023) · Nigeria: 0.02 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 34% of Mexico, but only 23% of Nigeria.
Mexico: 33.6% (2023) · Nigeria: 23.2% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Mexico emits 6 times as much CO₂ as someone in Nigeria.
Mexico: 3.5 t (2024) · Nigeria: 0.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
31% of Nigeria’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mexico.
Mexico: 23.1% (2025) · Nigeria: 31.3% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Nigeria carries 2.7 times as much fine dust as in Mexico.
Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Nigeria: 50 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 58% more likely to be murdered in Mexico than in Nigeria.
Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Nigeria: 15.7 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Nigeria are 43% deadlier than in Mexico.
Mexico: 12 per 100k (2021) · Nigeria: 17.2 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Nigeria is on average 6.0 °C warmer than Mexico.
Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 27.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Nigeria gets 32% more rain than Mexico.
Mexico: 788 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Nigeria: 1,044 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Mexico bigger than Nigeria?
Mexico is larger. Nigeria fits inside Mexico 2.1 times.
Which has more people, Mexico or Nigeria?
Nigeria has 80% more people than Mexico (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mexico or Nigeria?
People in Mexico live 21 years longer than in Nigeria. Life expectancy at birth is 75.3 years in Mexico and 54.6 in Nigeria.
Are people taller in Mexico or Nigeria?
Men in Nigeria are 1.3 cm taller than in Mexico (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
